The university was founded by the Government of Bangladesh according to a university act in 1986 to give special importance in science and technology education. It is the first specialized science & technology university of the country. After SUST, seven more science and technology universities have been established in Bangladesh.

SUST is traditionally known for research and education in the physical sciences and engineering. It is one of the most selective higher learning institutions, and received 40,881 undergraduate applicants for 2012-2013 session—only admitting 1,385, an acceptance rate of 3.39%.

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology was established in 1986. The campus is located in Kumargaon, approximately five kilometers away from the heart of Sylhet City Centre. The university started its academic programme with three departments: physics, chemistry and economics. The first convocation of SUST was held on 29 April 1998 and the second convocation held on 6 December 2007.[4]

SUST is the first university in Bangladesh providing whole campus free Wi-fi access for students & staffs.[5] The university introduced an integrated honors course for the first time in Bangladesh[3] and it introduced the semester system (American credit system) from the 1996-97 session. According to the masterplan for the university, within a few years Shahjalal University of Science and Technology will be one of the finest institutions of the region.[6]

The university students invented and introduced the paperless 24/7 SMS Based Automated Registration of Admission Test procedure for the first time in Bangladesh. Interested students can complete the registration process through mobile phone messages. The contemporary government launched the system on 13 September 2009.[7][8][9][10] For the invention, the University won an Ambillion Award in a competition of South Asian countries in 2010[5] and National Award for E-Content and ICT for Development Award 2010.[11][12] Now, most of the public universities in Bangladesh have adopted this process of registration.

SUST enrolls undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students. Students who want to get admission into SUST need to pass the admission test which is highly competitive. Admission tests are arranged by the specific schools under the authority of admission council. In 2012-2013 session undergraduate admission test 40,881 candidates competed against of 1,385 seats.[13] The acceptance rate of SUST is 3.39%.

Every year SUST arranges International Conference on Engineering Research, Innovation and Education (CERIE). In ICERIE more than hundred universities attended from different parts of the world and presents research papers in the field of Architecture, Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Industrial and Production Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Petroleum and Geo-resources Engineering, Food Engineering and Tea Technology.

Major conferences hosted every year by SUST:

International Conference on Engineering Research, Innovation and Education (ICERIE)

International Conference on Advance Physics (ICAP)

International Conference on Environmental Technology and Construction Engineering for Sustainable Development (ICETCESD)

Every year SUST arranges three days CSE Carnival. The carnival offers Inter University Programming Contest, Software Exposition, Job Fair, Seminar and Gaming Contest. Every year more than hundred universities participate in the carnival.[14]

SUST has 26 departments under 7 schools. According to the master plan it will have 8 schools with a number of departments. By following the master plan of the university, one more school and some departments are under consideration. The schools are:

Department of Architecture Center for Research, Testing, and Consultancy (CRTC Architecture) focuses on research areas such as building planning and design, interior design, landscape development, urban planning and urban renewal, conservation of historical sites and monuments, architecture of Bengal region, sustainable design, low cost housing etc. according to regional context. The center has been widely working with the traditional house forms, settlement pattern, urban growth and architectural development of the region. Recently it has undertaken a housing project adjacent to Sylhet-Sunamganj highway that is nearly completed. The housing project offers a sustainable community environment through contemporary architectural design.

Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) department established the centre for research, testing and consultancy (CRTC) to provide research, testing and consultancy services in 2003. CRTC designed water treatment plant to remove high concentration of iron (>11 mg/lit) in ground water of Sylhet region, such a plant has been successfully operating in Hotels in Sylhet city. CTRC already planned and designed the structural and drainage systems of the Madina Garden City near Sylhet International Airport including EIA and recently has been working for Gazi Burhan Uddin Model City near Sylhet upashahar. CRTC has been performing all kind of testing in the field of water, waste water, cement, concrete, rod beam, soil, air, noise etc. since 2003.

SUST has a campus area of 320 acres which is famous for its natural beauty. Many visitors come to Sylhet visit the "Shahid Minar" (Martyr's Memorial) of the university. The memorial stands on the top of a small hill and is surrounded by trees. Different cultural organizations arrange programs on the premises on local and national occasions.

SUST has high reputation for non-violent student movements. It is also a university without any session jam. The first ever Bangladesh Mathematics Olympiad was held in Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in 2004.[23] Prominent teachers/lecturers there include the Bangladeshi writer and scientist, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, who is a professor of Computer Science and Engineering as well as the head of the department.[24]

SUST has an extensive core curriculum required of all undergraduates. SUST is the first university in Bangladesh to adopt American course credit systems for all departments. The syllabus are always updated frequently to maintain the global standard of education.

SUST has a common Central Library with a collection of 180,000 volumes and 300 current periodical subscriptions for all academic departments. The library includes electronic copies of books, which can be accessed from any academic department through electronic local area networking(LAN). Per year around 2000 volumes are added in this library. The library building of SUST is famous for its attractive triangular shape. It has also a free internet browsing facility and rental library program. Additionally, there are also departmental library in each academic department and hall library in each residential halls. Library has an Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) and its URL is http://library.sust.edu

Currently, there are 5 halls of residence. A significant number of students reside privately near the university area of Sylhet metro.

Halls of Residence

Shah Paran Hall

2nd Male Students' Hall

Syed Mujtaba Ali Hall

1st Ladies Hall

Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall

There are also well decorated houses for the faculty members of SUST. University authorities also run some private halls of residence outside the main campus especially for female students to guarantee housing for female students. These Halls are:

The students of this university participate in sports for recreation and the finest athletes regularly compete in inter-university games like football, handball, volleyball, basketball etc. SUST has some varsity teams. There is a Cricket ground, a Football ground, a Basketball ground and well equipped gymnasium adjacent to the university student health center. SUST is the only university to have Professional Cricket League and Professional Football League. Students organize both inter-department and inter-university tournaments for popular games every year. Girls and teachers also participate in several games.